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Re: orion-list Was Josephus Exhaustive?
George Brooks writes:
> the Essenes. And in the very same breath, Josephus uses the Bannus
> discussion to link this idea to the final comment he offers which is that
> he **then** went to study with the Pharisees.
George, as I understand that passage, it says something a little
different: having tried the various possibilities, he adopts one of
them as a way of life.
> The idea that Bannus is an unlikely Essene because he seems to
> be living a solitary life is actually the risky conclusion.
Not really. If one is aware of the history of Christian monasticism,
the difference between the solitary and the communal existence is
highly significant. Whether Christian monasticism is the proper
parallel is a valid question; however, in this case also, the
difference between communal and solitary existence does seem to
me to be significant.
David Suter
Saint Martin's College
For private reply, e-mail to dsuter@stmartin.edu
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